Should I buy/use a C stand in my photography?

A C Stand is a heavy metal stand which holds its roots in early film production. The stands were used to hold lights, modifiers, silks, backgrounds and much more on film sets. Their stability and versatility make them a staple for any studio work. One of the most common questions I get is what is a C Stand, and do […]

Lessons learned form the Marshall Fire

As a photographer, most of us are completely focused on creating new work. Whether you shoot landscapes, weddings, portraits or products, we are all constantly amassing new folders of work. Most of the photographers I work with have a hard drive that sits on their desk that gets new files placed onto it once a week, month, or quarter depending […]

Using Native American regalia as props

Recently I posted an article about my Native American heritage, you can read the original article here. In that article I talked about the practice of using Native Headdresses as props in portrait photography and why that isn’t ok. I spend a lot of time in photography forums attempting to educate photographers on Native culture and why it is offensive […]

I’m ready for a full frame camera! or am I?

You have been shooting for a while, but you feel like purchasing a full frame camera will catapult your work from amateur status to pro. Are you ready for a full frame camera? What are the benefits of taking the plunge to purchase that super sweet new gear? Let’s talk about it… Starting out Most photographers these days start out […]

Are critiques useful after the shoot?

I lurk (and participate) in a lot of internet forums on photography, and one recurring topic I see is that image critiques are not useful after the shoot has been done. This sentiment seems to be especially common from newer photographers. Let’s face it, the internet can be a terrible place, and no matter how good you are at something […]

Helping you cull your work

Are you one of those photographers who have difficulty selecting the one iconic image from a set of good shots? Have you ever taken a portrait, and liked the look on the models face but you missed focus on the eyes and decided to show it anyway? If you have problems identifying flaws in your work, then this article can […]

Easy Film noir style images

This week we explore how objects between and around your flash affect your images. You may have heard of terms like cookie, flag and gobo when referring to lighting, what the heck are these things and will using them benefit your images? Lets talk about it… Cookies Cookies are an object which is placed in front of your light source […]

Getting shadows under control n your portraits.

Today I continue my weekly series helping you to Troubleshoot your Photography. This series is geared towards beginning and intermediate photographers, but old grizzled photographers (yours truly included) may also find useful tidbits in these musings. Are you new to photography and finding that people on social media are not liking your images as much as you expected them to? […]

Troubleshooting your photography – Focus part 2

Welcome to part two of a new weekly series called Troubleshooting your Photography. This series is geared towards beginning and intermediate photographers, but old grizzled photographers (yours truly included) may also find useful tidbits in these musings. I’m publishing new articles each Tuesday. Are you new to photography and finding that people on social media are not liking your images […]